Blade Inspection Scotland

In the summer of 2015 Bureau Veritas and Skeye inspected the blades and main structure of a wind turbine in Scotland with a drone. This turbine on the East coast of Scotland was due for inspection to check if the repairs made on the blades in the past were still of sufficient quality and to see if new defects could be identified.

Upon arrival very strong winds were observed. At ground level a wind speed of 12 meters per second was measured. On top of the turbine wind speeds of 14 m/s were observed (27 knots).

The Altura Zenith ATX8 multicopter drone proved to be the right machine to face the wind that blew in irregular gusts. Without any problem the drone was able to hang in a stable position at a distance of around 15 feet from the blade at a height of 200 feet. At regular intervals high-resolution images were taken. These were observed ‘live’ on the ground by an inspector of Bureau Veritas and later studied in detail in the office. The inspector was in this manner able to instruct the Skeye pilot and the camera observer to zoom in on specific details based on his extensive knowledge of wind turbines.

Bureau Veritas compiled an inspection report based on these images. If you are interested in the contents of this report then please send an email to info@skeyebv.nl or contact us by phone and we will send you the report.